Glyphosate-resistant Canada fleabane was first confirmed in Ontario in 2010. Fast-forward thirteen years and the weed now has developed resistance to multiple herbicide groups and can be found in Essex County, bordering Michigan, all the way east to Glengarry County, adjacent to the Quebec border. University of Guelph weed scientist Dr. Peter Sikkema has been… Read More
Category: Ontario Agricultural Conference
Tar spot has been spreading across North American corn growing regions ever since the leaf disease was first detected in 2015. Characterized by tar-like speckling on the upper surface of corn leaves, the fungal pathogen can deliver yield hits ranging from 20 to 60 bushels per acre (in highly infected fields). On this episode of… Read More
Variety choice and planting dates are two key factors that drive soybean yield. On this episode of RealAgriculture’s Soybean School, host Bernard Tobin asks whether later-maturing soy varieties are required for the highest yields and whether growers should plant soybeans before corn. For some answers, Tobin is joined by Michigan State University soybean educator Mike… Read More
Corn yields in Ontario have been increasing 2 bu/ac, or one per cent per, year over the past 40 years. Where is that yield increase coming from? University of Guelph associate professor David Hooker says genetics (65 per cent) and agronomy (35 per cent) are the key contributors to bigger corn crops. Corn breeders can… Read More
Highly engaged wheat growers wanting to learn how to grow better wheat are driving expansion of the Great Lakes Yield Enhancement Network (YEN). Coordinated by the Grain Farmers of Ontario, Michigan State University, Michigan Wheat Program, the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, and the University of Guelph, the Great Lakes YEN project… Read More
Waterhemp that’s resistant to multiple herbicide groups continues to march across Ontario, but growers still have options to control the weed. There’s also emerging proof that integrated management could help growers take the fight to the spreading yield robber, says University of Guelph weed scientist Dr. Peter Sikkema. At the Ontario Agricultural Conference earlier this… Read More
For many in parts of southern Ontario, the summer dryness of ’22 caused stress and poor yields. Looking ahead, what’s in store for weather trends, water cycles, and average temperatures? At last week’s Ontario Agricultural Conference, Bernard Tobin caught up with Michigan State University professor of meteorology and climatology, Jeff Andresen, to talk about what… Read More
Protecting grain crops from costly plant diseases and making crop production more resilient to climate change are two goals a new $2-million gift to the University of Guelph from Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO). Announced at the close of the Ontario Agricultural Conference, the funding will support a new GFO professorship in field crop pathology… Read More
Climate change has cascading effects on many areas of life, many of them negative. However, a changing climate provide some upside potential for crop production. Jeffrey Schussler, an Iowa-based ag technology and research consultant with Schussler Ag Solutions, presented this week at the Ontario Agricultural Conference on how climate change has benefitted agriculture, how genetics… Read More
Grain farmers are known for their generosity when supplying nitrogen to the corn crop, but many growers get stingy when providing nitrogen to the soybean crop. That’s a situation University of Illinois plant physiology professor Fred Below sees too often when it comes to managing the oilseed crop. In his presentation last month at the Ontario Agricultural Conference, Below… Read More
The practice of variable rate seeding for corn continues to increase as growers attempt to match seeding rates and hybrid characteristics to the varying yield potential across their fields. With the growth of precision agriculture, every year more growers adopt variable rate seeding strategies but are they effectively evaluating and fine-tuning this strategy on their… Read More
When it comes to increasing soybean yield, University of Illinois plant physiology professor Fred Below has two words of advice — plant early. In his presentation earlier this month at the Ontario Agricultural Conference, Below shared data from eight years of trials that show growers in Illinois lose almost half a bushel (0.47 bu/ac) for every day… Read More
In 2020, Eric Watson broke his own world record when he harvested 258 bushels of wheat per acre on his Ashburton, New Zealand farm. It’s an astounding yield that Canadian farmers can only dream about. But are there crop management tips that farmers in this country can glean from Watson’s record-setting wheat? Bayer CropScience regional business… Read More
We know that phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) are needed in soybeans to achieve those high yields. But what’s the right soil test level of each of these macronutrients, what happens when there’s too much or too little, and how does that level affect soybean yield? To answer these questions, RealAg’s Bernard Tobin is joined… Read More
It’s been more than 30 years since Caterpillar launched the first tracked tractor for farming. A lot has changed since those first basic tracks and under carriages rolled into farm fields. Most of those early tractors were in the 200 to 400 horsepower range. In the past decade however, many of those smaller tractors are… Read More